Chapter 22: Burning Bridges After Use
“Mr. Lu, what are you doing?”
Qingqing followed Lu Liang into the room but let out a startled gasp as he swept her up by the waist and carried her to the bathroom.
What followed was a frenzy of passion. When it was over, Lu Liang walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, leaving Qingqing to tidy up the aftermath herself.
Lying on the balcony’s sofa, he lit a cigarette, letting the breeze from the river wash over him. With fingers lightly tapping the table, his mood was light.
What he had been most worried about hadn’t happened, and he even received an unexpected bonus. However, he had a hypothesis that would take four more days to confirm.
The next morning, Lu Liang drove Qingqing back to Haomeng Production Company.
After exchanging contact details, he gave her a pat on the backside. “Go on, get to work. I have some business to discuss with Mr. Wu.”
Earlier, Zhao Haisheng from Guotai Securities had called to inform him that he now qualified for the VIP trading room and should schedule a visit to complete the necessary paperwork.
Guotai’s VIP trading room wasn’t just a status symbol—it offered tangible benefits.
Previously, Lu Liang had a standard account with a transaction fee of 0.03%. For a 10 million yuan trade, that was 3,000 yuan per transaction. Now, as a VIP, his fee would drop to 0.012%, and he’d gain access to financial services like margin trading and short selling.
Lu Liang and Wu Tianzheng left the office together, chatting amicably, only to run into Bai Xiaoqin, who was there to sign a contract.
“Mr. Lu, Mr. Wu, hello,” Bai Xiaoqin greeted them with a mix of joy and nervousness.
Last night, she had received an invitation for the fourth female lead role. She knew it was thanks to Lu Liang, and it had kept her up all night with anticipation.
She had heard plenty of stories about hidden rules, especially in low-budget web films like Phantom Disc Battles Writing Disc.
For instance, producers would invite actresses to "study scripts" in hotel rooms late at night. Refusing often meant being sidelined or even having months of hard work edited out of the final film.
Yet, she hadn’t received any such calls, sparking a tiny bit of goodwill toward Lu Liang. Just a tiny bit.
“Do your best. I’m looking forward to your performance,” Lu Liang said casually, ignoring Qingqing as he walked out of Haomeng.
“I’ll give it my all!” Bai Xiaoqin said, bowing deeply with excitement as she watched him leave.
Qingqing passed by, sneering. “Hah, how naive. If hard work were all it took, extras wouldn’t exist.”
She was clearly upset. Being ignored by Lu Liang felt like he had burned bridges after using her.
“Senior, did I do something wrong?” Bai Xiaoqin asked, straightforward as ever, confused by the hostility.
“Don’t mind her,” Wu Tianzheng interjected, glaring at Qingqing. “Sign the contract and report to Director Liang.”
Then, he turned to Qingqing. “Next month, we’re doing a feature for Bazaar magazine. Prepare to model some new fashion lines and head to Beijing for the shoot.”
Seeing Qingqing’s dissatisfaction, he added earnestly, “Qingqing, don’t overthink it. Wealthy men aren’t fools. Mr. Lu isn’t much different from your previous sponsors.”
Wu Tianzheng didn’t know what had happened the previous night or what Lu Liang had said, but today’s attitudes made it clear: Lu Liang wasn’t serious, while Qingqing was.
Biting her lip, Qingqing dug her nails into her polished fingers before sighing in defeat. “Understood, Mr. Wu.”
“Good. Off you go.” Wu Tianzheng nodded, satisfied.
He believed Qingqing had the potential to rise—she just needed resilience, effort, and patience.
Meanwhile, Lu Liang arrived at the Guotai Securities branch.